---
title: "Knowledge-Based Anytime Computation"
authors:
  - "Abdel-Illah Mouaddib"
  - "Shlomo Zilberstein"
doi: ""
url: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1995/101"
pdf: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1995/0101.pdf"
venue: "Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence"
year: 1995
pages: "775-782"
track: "Knowledge Base Technology"
keywords:
---

# Knowledge-Based Anytime Computation

Abdel-Illah Mouaddib, Shlomo Zilberstein

*Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence*, pages 775-782.

## Abstract

This paper describes a real-time decisionmaking model that combines the expressiveness and flexibility of knowledge-based systems with the real-time advantages of anytime algorithms. Anytime algorithms offer a simple means by which an intelligent system can trade off computation time for quality of results. Previous attempts to develop knowledge-based anytime algorithms failed to produce consistent, predictable improvement of quality over time. Without performance profiles, that describe the output quality as a function of time, it is hard to exploit the flexibility of anytime algorithms. The model of progressive reasoning that is presented here is based on a hierarchy of reasoning units that allow for gradual improvement of decision quality in a predictable manner. The result is an important step towards the application of knowledge-based systems in timecritical domains.